Attensa Unveils Feed Server 1.1; Bringing New Power, Security, Advanced Attention Reporting and Installation Options to Enterprise RSS

WebKnowHow
Friday, February 16, 2007; 08:53 AM

Attensa, Inc., the leading developer of RSS software for businesses, today introduced significant enhancements to the Attensa Feed Server, a dedicated web feed server designed to distribute internal and external web feeds to users and groups behind the firewall. The latest version of the enterprise RSS leader's comprehensive, end-to-end solution is a milestone achievement in the company's roadmap to reinvent the way enterprises approach RSS. Attensa Feed Server provides the industry's most comprehensive, reliable and secure solution for attention reporting and enterprise RSS.

"Providing workers with the right information, at the right time, in the right context, has been a holy grail for IT organizations for many years. Attempts to fulfill this goal have relied on many different solutions anchored around various information sharing, communication and collaboration techniques," writes Burton Group Analyst Mike Gotta in a recent report entitled Transforming Communication Channels: RSS in the Enterprise. "RSS-based tools are one option users can avail themselves to when looking for ways to better manage their attention towards pertinent information in a manner that they control."

Attensa Feed Server 1.1 brings together all of the tools IT administrators, team leaders and users need to manage and streamline the delivery of critical business information using web feeds behind the firewall. The new capabilities and feature set have been developed based on extensive customer input from IT professionals and users in some of the world's largest corporations including the leading companies in global logistics services, energy, financial services, investment banking , insurance, pharmaceuticals and health care.

The Attensa Feed Server 1.1 Highlights

• Choice of Installation Options - Appliance, Software Appliance or Hosted Service
The Attensa Feed Server 1.1 is available as a Linux software appliance combining the Feed Server 1.1 application with an open source LAMP stack that readily installs on industry standard servers. The Attensa Feed Server will also be offered as a hosted service to meet the needs of small and medium businesses and workgroups and project teams in larger organizations.

• Server Side and Web Reader Persistent Search
Administrators and users can set up dynamic searches across 18 Web, blog and social network search engines. The ability to add search from premium content providers is also available.
Search feeds are hosted on the server and can be channeled to specific users and groups. Users can add new searches through the Attensa Feed Server's Web reader.
Simply typing search keyword queries once will launch searches across multiple search engines. Search results are updated automatically on a continuous basis.
By subscribing to dynamic persistent search feeds covering market and trend data from industry research groups, government agencies, news sources, and thought leaders, changes in business environments can be sent directly to workers on a real-time basis. Researchers and knowledge workers no longer have to manually check for updates. New information is sent directly to subscribers as soon as it is published on the Internet.

• Enhanced Attention Reporting - Searchable Attention Analytics Reports
Managers, team leaders and admins can access new reports based on Attensa's unique AttentionStream analytics. Detailed Attention reports are searchable based on feeds, groups and users. Attention reporting helps gain insight into how users effectively convert information into wisdom as users gather information in their quest to answer questions and solve problems. Reports can be used to identify must read feeds and the most effective communications channels for getting information to specific users and groups.

• Designed for Scaling Efficiency and Lower Total Cost of Ownership
The Attensa Feed Server scales more efficiently than conventional clustered server approaches used in competitive enterprise RSS solutions. The server uses Attensa's AttentionStream™ processing to intelligently manage and direct workload demands to task specific servers. AttentionStream processing running on the Linux OS lowers TCO by requiring fewer servers to support workloads and reduces software licensing costs.

• Advanced Security
Administrators have the ability to set strip out potentially malicious attachments and to set up lists of blocked feeds and enclosures. Administrators also have the ability to disable scripting from within feeds for additional security.

• Tiered Administrator Permissions
With tiered administration, IT administrators can create an unlimited number of administrators with permissions ranging from read-only access to full system control. Distributing administration responsibilities makes it easy to empower department managers, and team leaders to subscribe, channel and monitor Web feeds for their specific needs.
Users and groups can be imported from LDAP directories or created specifically on the feed server. Users and groups are searchable to make it easy to find and assign administrator and user permissions in large organizations.

• Browsable Feed Library
Feeds can be neatly organized using categories and sub-categories to create a logical taxonomy. Users with permission can browse through the feed library to create their own custom reading lists.

• Embedded Documentation and Technical Support Access
Documentation for users and admins is now available through the web interface. Access to the Attensa Support portal is available through the admin interface.

"Web feeds are quickly evolving into the de facto delivery platform for getting critical business information to the right people at the right time automatically," said Craig Barnes, CEO of Attensa. "RSS is destined to be the next wave of IT infrastructure, automatically delivering essential information from portals, intranets, premium content providers and enterprise applications. Our enterprise Feed Server customers are reporting measurable time savings and Attensa's unique attention analytics are helping them identify and enhance their most effective communication channels."

The Attensa Feed Server - Putting Web Feeds to Work Behind the Firewall
The Attensa Feed Server 1.1 can be easily installed behind the firewall to create a secure, scalable, enterprise RSS environment that integrates seamlessly into the fabric of IT networks environments. With the Attensa Feed Server individuals, workgroups, departments and entire organizations can securely receive internal and external RSS information. RSS articles can be read in Microsoft Outlook, in a secure online reader or on a mobile device. Attensa's unique AttentionStream™ synchronization ties the server to the company's desktop, web and mobile RSS readers so articles read, filed and deleted are continuously updated, regardless of when or where they are accessed.

About Attensa
Attensa, Inc. is a venture backed software company developing RSS software for the enterprise that gets the right information, to the right people at the right time.For more information and to keep informed about new product introductions, please visit the company's Web site at attensa.com .